By: Bonnen of Galveston, Faircloth, H.B. No. 1927
      Laubenberg, Fallon, Guillen, et al.
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  rela
  ting to the application to vote early by mail in more than one
  election.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter B, Chapter 84, Election Code, is
  amended by adding Section 84.038 to read as follows:
         Sec. 84.038.  CANCELLATION EFFECTIVE FOR SINGLE ELECTION.
  The cancellation of an application for a ballot to be voted by mail
  under Section 84.032(c), (d), or (e) is effective for a single
  ballot only and does not cancel the application with respect to a
  subsequent election, including a subsequent election to which the
  same application applies under Section 84.001(e) or 86.0015(b).
         SECTION 2.  Section 86.0015, Election Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 86.0015.  APPLYING FOR MORE THAN ONE ELECTION IN SAME
  APPLICATION. (a)  This section applies only to an application for
  a ballot to be voted by mail that:
               (1)  indicates [is submitted to the county clerk
  indicating] the ground of eligibility is age or disability; and
               (2)  does not specify the election for which a ballot is
  requested.
         (b)  An application described by Subsection (a) is
  considered to be an application for a ballot for each election,
  including any ensuing runoff [in which the county clerk serves as
  early voting clerk and]:
               (1)  in which the applicant is eligible to vote; and
               (2)  that occurs before the earlier of:
                     (A)  the end of:
                           (i)  the calendar year in which the
  application was submitted, if the application was submitted in an
  even-numbered year; or
                           (ii)  the subsequent even-numbered calendar
  year, if the application was submitted in an odd-numbered year; or
                     (B)  the date the county clerk receives notice
  from the voter registrar under Subsection (f) [(d)] that the voter
  has changed residence to another county [submitted a change in
  registration information].
         (c)  In an election of a political subdivision located in a
  county in which the county clerk is not the early voting clerk, the
  county clerk shall provide the early voting clerk of the political
  subdivision that is holding the election a list of voters in the
  portion of the political subdivision located in the county who have
  ballot applications on file under this section. The early voting
  clerk shall provide a ballot to be voted by mail to each voter on the
  list.
         (d)  The secretary of state shall provide a method by which
  counties and political subdivisions located in the county can
  exchange and update information on applications received under this
  section.
         (e)  An application described by Subsection (a) shall be
  preserved for the period for preserving the precinct election
  records for the last election for which the application is
  effective.
         (f) [(d)]  The voter registrar shall notify the county clerk
  following the receipt of a notice of a change in registration
  information under Section 15.021. The county clerk shall:
               (1)  except as provided by Subdivision (2), send to the
  voter ballots to be voted by mail as required by this section at the
  voter's updated address, and update as necessary the lists provided
  to early voting clerks under Subsection (c) to reflect the change;
  or
               (2)  delete the voter from the county clerk's list of
  voters who have ballot applications on file under this section, if
  the voter's county of residence has changed.
         SECTION 3.  The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
  an election for which an application for a ballot to be voted by
  mail may not be submitted before January 1, 2016.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.